WORK has begun on a glittering makeover costing hundreds of thousands of pounds to transform a Midlands cinema.

The UCI Cinema at the Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill was one of the first multiplexes in Britain when it opened 20 years ago.

Now the 10-screen cinema has become part of entertainment giants Odeon and is undergoing a major top-to-bottom refit.

But there is still a chance a new cinema could be built at Merry Hill within the next five years.

Workmen moved in last week to start a 10-week project which will see the cinema get new seating and super-quality sound systems, new bars, carpeting and lighting to give it the distinctive Odeon look.

Cinema general manager Alex Jones said the popular picture house was getting the most expensive refit of any UCI cinema in Britain.

"The cinema is going to be unrecognisable on completion of the work, which is scheduled to finish on July 3," he said. "It is a total refit from top to bottom and it is really going to have the wow factor when it is finished.

"The front of house is all coming down and a new frontage is to be constructed and all the staff are very excited about what is happening."

Contractors are working through the night to complete the work as quickly as possible, with the cinema staying open during the refit.

Opening times have been slightly affected to accommodate the contractors.

"Our customers - we average 10,000 a week from across the region - are really going to be impressed with the way the cinema is going to look," said Mr Jones.

Mr Jones said the cinema had been enormously successful since it opened in the 1980s under the old AMC banner.

"We are aiming to increase our attendances when the refit is completed, and with films such as Mission Impossible 3 and the remake of The Poseidon Adventure on the horizon there are some real blockbusters coming up."

"We are hoping the cinema will get a major celebrity relaunch sometime after July 3 and we are sure the new look will go down well," he added.

Mr Jones said there was still a long-term hope a new cinema could be developed at Merry Hill.